1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to the operation and control of electroluminescent devices such as lasers, laser diodes, and cold cathode fluorescent lamps. More specifically, but without limitation thereto, the present invention is directed to a controller for an electroluminescent device (ELD) system.
2. Description of Related Art
Many different types of electroluminescent devices (ELD) are used in a variety of applications, for example, in optical transceivers used for fiberoptic communications systems and in backlighting panels for liquid crystal displays. Each type of electroluminescent device requires, for example, a power source to drive the ELD and a light output monitor to measure the optical power output of the ELD. Depending on the type of ELD, several parameters may be measured and set to effect the desired operation of an electroluminescent device such as a laser. An example of a measured parameter is optical power output. An example of a set parameter is Optical Modulation Amplitude (OMA). The set parameters are typically hard-coded in firmware. Alternatively, the set parameters may be manually controlled interactively by a user to find and maintain the desired value of the measured parameters. For example, the user may adjust the OMA until a desired Extinction Ratio is measured.